2015 started for me like a very badly tuned piano, with its sad notes resonating day after day. It started with personal challenges (some health related and I am very grateful to the people who helped me overcome those bad times; I am also proud of myself that I reached happiness again and in a much stronger way than ever), the abrupt death of my grandfather (I will say it loud and clear, acute leukemia is a b***) and Charlie, poor poor Paris and la Belle France (we all know those sad notes played again in November in Paris and it will be hard forgetting those events).From the very start, I wanted the year to end fast. Thankfully, it wasn't all that bad (I promise, it's not a sad blog post, but hey! It's important getting rid of the old to make way for the new and jump into 2016 feeling happier, right?).

We moved to Kilkenny and I enjoyed spending time in a new city (it turns out it was a short lived experience since we are moving back to Dublin), discovering a more relaxing and quiet lifestyle. I took a lot of morning walks either alone or with my great friend Rebekah and it felt wonderful.

I also got challenged at work with being hired for wedding photography not once but three times in a really short time. I had never done any wedding photography before but the outcome was really positive and making people happy capturing the beautiful memories of their big day is indeed a wonderful thing. I also went to London for food photography work and it was a fantastic experience.This year, I continued loving the work I do (and I keep loving it more and more). It is not always easy running your own business. Some people might suggest you do another completely unrelated job on the side but a handful of important friends will also remind you to focus on what you are doing because that is what you love most and where you are getting the most satisfaction in your life. I give myself a constant reminder that sometimes quality prevails over quantity. What is slow happening is also rewarding in the happy feedback I get from my lovely clients.

Travels were a really nice part of the year and I got to discover two new cities: Brussels (Belgium) and Lille (France). I also traveled to London and quite a few times to France. I traveled a bit more in Ireland too and discovered West Cork, the area where we moved too and the amazing landscapes of Northern Ireland.

I experienced a lot more food discoveries along the year and also cooked more than usual, trying my hand at various recipes.I shared my photography, life, travels and culinary experiences here on this little blog and will continue doing so in 2016. It's always a happy thing taking time to create new content for this little blog of mine and I love seeing it evolve with the years (3 and a half already!).

Here is to a brighter, shinier and happier New Year 2016! I wish you all the very best my dear readers: eat some good food, take the time to look after yourself, discover new things (books, art, craft, etc.), travel and spend time with the people you love most.